Nicola Barr, the AFLW’s inaugural No.1 draft pick, continues to drive standards at the Giants ahead of her 50th game

The competition might have changed a lot since its first season but Nicola Barr is still in the thick of the AFLW action at the GWS Giants.

Nicola Barr, the AFLW’s inaugural No. 1 draft pick, will celebrate her 50th game on Sunday. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The evolution of AFLW is creating an amazing legacy for women’s football according to the competition’s first-ever draft pick.

Nicola Barr was taken by the Giants with pick No. 1 of the 2016 draft and will play her 50th game this weekend against the Demons.

“I’m feeling really old, to be honest,” Barr laughed. “I don’t think I am old, I might just be a bit older in my team.”

But the 27-year-old is still in a bit of disbelief at how quickly the AFLW has had an impact on the next generation of footballers.

“To be a part of the AFLW since day one is such a privilege,” Barr said. “The level of the competition and the style of football that we’re seeing has been amazing.

“I look at the legacy we’re leaving for younger girls, it’s really special. So many girls are picking up football from a young age.

“As a result, the young players coming into the competition are incredible. They’re so skilful and they look like they’ve had a footy in their hands for a long time.”

Barr was just 20 when she was drafted in 2016. Picture: Tim Carrafa

The 50-game milestone has become a significant one in recent seasons for AFLW players as the quality of the competition continues to improve.

Barr is just the second player to do it at the Giants and is one of just two players still on their list from that first season.

And rather than rest on her laurels, the next generation of players are pushing her to improve.

“She’s one of our best trainers,” Cam Bernasconi, the Giants’ AFLW coach, said. “It’s no fluke that she’s such an important player for us.

“I think the best thing I’ve found coaching Nic is her ability to evolve as a player. When I was involved in AFLW in year one, she was a wing and halfback. Then last year she came in and was a forward. Now, she’s an inside mid.

“Her ability to evolve and challenge herself to become the best player she can be has been awesome.

“We’ll really celebrate Nic this weekend. Hopefully, if you’re trying to find a bit of motivation internally you’d love to crack in and have a really strong game.”

While the Giants were on the wrong side of a narrow round-one defeat to the Swans, there’s a lot of belief in the group that they’re on the right path.

After injuries impacted Bernasconi’s first season in charge, their free-flowing game style was on display at North Sydney Oval and the players feel more comfortable in the system.

Barr continues to lead the standards within the Giants group. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The nature of the 10-round competition means time is limited to turn their season around, and it will be a tough task against the reigning premiers, Melbourne, at Manuka Oval on Sunday.

But Barr is confident that this group has what it takes.

“We know we can play better football than that,” Barr said. “[It was] probably just too many poor decisions in the last quarter.

“We’ve got a really young team, I think on average it’s the youngest team in the comp. But it’s an exciting brand of footy … we’ve got a lot more method to that fast-ball movement than last year and we know we’ve got the people in the team to make that work.

“You think about the Giants’ men’s team, they had a slow start and now they’re in finals. They’ve got a few more games to make that system work.

“But I don’t think I’ve ever had as much belief in our team as I have had this year.”